CTB/McGraw-Hill and SMART Join Forces to Make Formative Instruction Easier to Administer

MONTEREY, Calif., March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CTB/McGraw-Hill, a leading provider of Pre K–12 and adult education assessments, and SMART Technologies, Inc. (SMART), a pioneer of classroom technology solutions, announce that Acuity UnWired® now supports three SMART Response™ interactive response systems. The collaboration between CTB and SMART further expands the use of Acuity by classroom teachers to track student performance directly and use SMART Response interactive response systems in their formative instruction.

"Our SMART Response interactive response systems are perfectly suited to support Acuity UnWired," said Nancy Knowlton, SMART's CEO. "Using SMART Response enables teachers to gain immediate and accurate insights into student comprehension and help ensure that both teachers and students stay on track to achieve learning objectives."

"SMART is a global leader of interactive classroom technology solutions with a broad offering for every learning environment," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "The integration of SMART Response with Acuity UnWired will keep students interested and involved in the learning process, and will enable educators to reach every student – regardless of grade, curriculum, or ability."

In May 2011 students will be able to take Acuity UnWired assessments using SMART Response PE and SMART Response XE instead of pencils and paper or computers. SMART's previous model, Senteo™ interactive response system, is no longer available for purchase but is supported and integrated with Acuity UnWired.

Acuity UnWired instantly displays student responses and percent-correct scores, enabling teachers to track progress in real-time. When an assessment is complete, Acuity UnWired uploads student performance data to Acuity, generating standards-aligned reports within minutes. Instantaneous feedback gives educators the ability to modify their instruction, making true data-driven instruction a reality. 

Using Acuity UnWired benefits both teachers and students:

• Today's tech-savvy students are familiar with and prefer using hand-held, electronic devices.
• Acuity UnWired enables teachers to test quickly and easily, get instant results, and immediately adjust instruction as guided by test results.
• Compared with online testing, using interactive response devices frees-up computer labs for other valuable instructional purposes, eliminating lab scheduling conflicts.
• Students report feeling more at ease taking assessments in their classrooms with interactive response systems, compared to taking assessments in computer labs, which can be crowded and noisy.
• Using Acuity UnWired eliminates costly and time-consuming printing, barcoding, distributing, collecting, and scanning of answer sheets.

Since its release in 2009, Acuity UnWired has been deployed in hundreds of schools, with universally successful results. In informal classroom surveys, students noted almost unanimously that they preferred interactive response system devices, not only to paper and pencil, but also to online testing. Teachers also reported a high level of comfort and ease of use, and district officials were very satisfied.

About Acuity

The award-winning Acuity InFormative Assessment™ solution helps teachers gauge student performance and deliver tailored instruction for every student. Used by more than 65,000 teachers and 1.5 million students nationwide, Acuity heralds a new generation of assessment, enabling educators to deliver true data-driven instruction. Acuity contains four elements of a comprehensive assessment system: ongoing skills measurement, in-depth reporting, data analysis, and resources for individual instruction and intervention. CTB/McGraw-Hill also offers comprehensive professional development, online community forums, implementation, and support services. In 2010, Acuity swept three industry-leading awards to become the premier interim/formative assessment solution available to schools today. For more information, visit CTB.com/Acuity or call 800.538.9547 to schedule a live presentation.

About SMART Technologies

SMART Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

CTB/McGraw-Hill has an 85-year record of innovation and excellence in assessment, and serves more than 18 million students in all 50 states and in 49 countries. One of the first American publishers to introduce objective, standardized achievement tests to schools, today CTB/McGraw-Hill is a leader in testing with recognized products for online interim and formative, adult, and language proficiency assessment. Dedicated to advancing the use of student performance data to inform instructional decision making, CTB/McGraw-Hill's innovation continues today with technologies that include Web-based assessment and reporting, student response device software, and artificial intelligence for automated scoring of student essays. CTB/McGraw-Hill is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. For more information, visit CTB.com.

CTB/McGraw-Hill Media Inquiries
Brandon Engle, Communications Manager
Phone: 916.933.1291
[email protected]

SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill